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Mather Lines Game Winning HR Against Rangers, Volstad Great Again

Joe Mather made another huge statement on Sunday, hitting a game winning solo shot in the top of the 9th inning against the Rangers. A home run that might have cemented his spot on the Cubs bench for the upcoming season. Mather has been fantastic this Spring, hitting .379, with 2 HR’s, and 7 RBI in 29 Spring at bats.

Chris Volstad was stellar on the mound once again, tossing 4 innings of one run baseball. Blake Parker, Lendy Castillo, and Rafael Dolis continued their strong Spring’s by firing scoreless frames as well, with Dolis picking up the save.

Joe Mather was 1-3 on the day, with the big blast in the 9th inning which proved to be the game winning HR. The Cubs managed only 4 hits on the day, Sappelt, Gonzalez, and Scales chipped in with the other hits. Scales had a big RBI double, as the Cubs made the most of their four hits, scoring three runs.

On the Mound:

Cubs pitching was awesome against the Rangers on Sunday, only allowing two runs on six hits. Volstad got the start and was fantastic again, he seems to be closing in on a rotation spot for sure. Blake Parker and Lendy Castillo were good again, Parker now has a 2.45 Spring ERA, and Castillo has a brilliant 1.29 ERA. Dolis got the save and continued his spotless Spring, he has fired five scoreless innings, giving up just two hits, with one walk, while striking out two.

Travis Wood takes the ball on Monday afternoon against the Mariners. This is a big start for Wood if he want’s to be apart of not only the Cubs rotation this season, but the team. Wood has been knocked around so far this spring, especially his last outing giving up six runs on three hits, with two walks over 1/3rd of an inning. Spots and chances are becoming limited as Samardzija and Volstad have been lights out so far. The game will be broadcast live and FREE on Cubs.com at 3:05 PM Central.

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